


Better than nothing

by Resri



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Marty tries, Not A Fix-It, Ravagers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 06:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13335513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resri/pseuds/Resri
Summary: After their meeting on Contraxia, after what Yondu said, Marty does some research. What he finds could maybe,maybebe enough for Stakar to at least listen.Sadly, time waits for no one, and is also a bitch.





	Better than nothing

After their meeting on Contraxia, after what Yondu said, Marty does some research. Okay, so _some research_ may be a bit of an understatement. He takes the next few days off (Stakar lets him. They are both rattled from seeing _him_ again, although for different reasons) and works without a minute of sleep. He's Pluvian, he needs to spend a whole lot less time unconscious than the standard humanoid species. So he works, and drinks a lot of caff, and works some more. Captain would be annoyed if he knew what Marty is doing. If he doesn't find anything, captain never has to know. 

He finds out quite a lot. 

Some stuff that accumulated over the last 25 years, but also a lot of stuff they could have known back at the trial if they'd only looked for it. But back then, the shock that one of theirs, and not just some random captain, but one of their closest friends (and something more to some of them) had trafficked children had struck hard. There was proof for the crime. Ravagers don't deal in kids. The motives or circumstances didn't matter. 

But they do matter, don't they? 

Yondu claimed, both 25 years ago and then again on Contraxia the past week, that he didn't know what Ego was doing with those kids. That argument was dismissed, since there really isn't all that much that some rich fuck could want with a cargo hold full of kids. Now, though, Marty knows that Ego told a bunch of people, before and after Yondu, that those kids where his offspring, and that he just wanted them returned. 

So it could be true. Maybe Yondu really didn't know what Ego was doing with those children. Maybe he wanted to believe that beautiful lie about a father just wanting to have his kids with him, save and happy and free. He took the money greedily, and maybe he didn't look too hard for the truth, but he thought that he was doing something _good_.   
He stopped, after all. Once the trial was over, and the Udonta clan was erased from the Ravager annals, Yondu didn't ferry any more kids, and Ego hired someone new.   
And then there is the Terran kid. A boy named Peter Quill, who got into trouble with the Nova Corp, but got bailed out by the most ruthless pirate captain of the quadrant every single time. A boy who grew up to be a scoundrel, and then a hero, who fought side by side with the Ravagers of the Udonta clan to save Xandar of all places from Ronan.   
Marty has watched a shit load of video footage about Quill. He is an adult now, tall and broad and pink skinned. He wears the red leathers of the Udonta clan, and the Ravager flame on his shoulder. His grin is familiar, just like his gestures. 

There is no doubt that this Peter Quill was the last kid Yondu ferried. Taken aboard after the trial, but never delivered. 

It happened before, once or twice, that a code breaker could redeem themselves and return to the fold. Yes, they didn't break the rules about slave or child trafficking, but still. There is hope. Marty just has to make a good enough case for him, and maybe, just maybe, Yondu's actions concerning the boy and Xandar can bring him back. 

Marty marches onto the bridge and up to Stakar's side. His captain looks up, and doesn't hide his surprise at his first mate's over-caffeinated, overtired state. But there must be something on Marty's face that has Stakar sit up straight, and lean towards him when Marty whispers, “I need to talk to you in private. About Yondu.” 

Stakar sighs, and looks out over the bridge with an expression caught somewhere between reluctance and anger. Marty stands his ground, because after 40 years as the trusted second in command, Stakar better fucking hear him out. They share this pain, someone dear to both of them lost after that stars forsaken trial. 

Finally, the captain nods and says, “Fine.” He gets up, but he hasn't even given over command to the second mate when the comms officer calls, “Sir, we just received a transmission on one of our older lines, via private channel. Ravager encryption, but at least from 20 years ago. It's from someone who calls himself Rocket. Says he's a Guardian of the Galaxy. Says it's important. ” 

“I'll look at it in my office,” Stakar answers, and leaves the bridge with Marty. The mysterious transmission has priority, of course, so they listen to it first. 

Afterwards, there isn't much left to say.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) 
> 
> I hope you liked it, and would be ridiculously happy if you left a comment <3


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